WHEN members of the Johnson Crew muscled into the drug dealing market in Erdington they thought they were untouchable.

Using just mobile phones for contact and local addicts as go-betweens, they would meet addicts at pre-arranged spots near to peddle heroin and crack cocaine.

As the lives of people in the area became blighted by crime, some of those involved were enjoying a luxury lifestyle of designer clothes and expensive cars.

But police were secretly watching, and undercover officers posing as addicts infiltrated the gang to buy drugs from them.

On a number of occasions the two brave officers, known only as Darren and Tony, had to make excuses as to why they were not taking the drugs they had just bought.

They pieced together evidence over an 18-month period, discovered who was behind the drugs network and realised it overlapped with efforts to break the notorious Johnson Crew.

Police said intelligence gleaned from the operation indicated five of the six men sentenced yesterday were so-called gang ‘nominals’.

Rueben Bell, 28, was a prominent member of the Johnson Crew, while Rikardo Reid, 19, was in the same car as Stephon Davidson when he was shot dead in a drive-by in Edgbaston during a rise in gang tensions last August. Mr Davidson, 19, was not linked to the drug dealing gang.

One of the others on the periphery of the dealing network, addict Andrew Campbell, was not part of the gang and was being used by them as a go-between to cover their tracks.

They made drops to various streets in Erdington and Gravelly Hill train station and there was also number of meetings on a canal towpath in Aston and outside a school in Victoria Road.

Police swooped on the gang last October, recovering thousands of pounds worth of drugs. As part of the blitz at a separate address, officers also found a Sterling Mark 3 sub-machine gun.

The operation successfully drove a wedge into the drug trade in the area.

“Erdington is certainly far safer for people since we carried out this operation,” said Det Insp Walton.